Greenville Business Magazine 2010 June issue : Page 58

››emerging companies BY KATRINA DANIEL | PHOTOGRAPH BY COMMERCIAL IMAGING Style Envy - Ashley Bickerstaff More than ever these days, it seems, appearance does matter. What you wear and how you wear it presents a quick hit, a synopsis of who you are and what image you want to present to the world. Gone are the days of, “I’ll just be myself and wear what I feel comfortable in.” Now you’re more likely to hear, “I feel I need to look really put together, appropriate, in order to compete in today’s job market, and social world.” But dressing for your body type, your taste and your wallet is a lot easier for some than it is for others, and most people admit to struggling with wardrobe and style choices. Greenville resident Ashley Bickerstaff came to that conclusion after helping out a friend, “She had been struggling with her weight since the birth of her last child.She was frustrated that clothes were not fitting her the way they used to.” So Bickerstaff offered to take her friend shopping, “Several stores later and 58 GREENVILLEBUSINESSMAG.COM | JUNE 2010 over a light lunch, she was thrilled with the look I pulled together for her. She said she felt comfortable and about 15 pounds lighter in her new clothes and then she proceeded to badger me into sharing my talents with others.” And that’s how StyleEnvy came to be, with Ashley Bickerstaff at the helm of her own business, “As a mother of two children, one with special needs, I knew that I if I pursued a career that it would have to be on my own terms. I would need flexible hours and availabil- ity to my family at all times, “she says. So Bickerstaff created what – to many women – would be the dream job, “I spend a great deal of my time at local boutiques, jewelry stores, shoe stores, etc... I am a big believer in supporting the local economy. I also spend a lot of time in my clients’ closets. Ultimately, my clients dictate where I spend my time. My service is very tailor made.” She edits her clients’ closets, turning a realistic yet diplomatic eye on their wardrobe choices and advising them what to wear where and when. Bickerstaff keeps abreast of the current fashion trends and tried and true Greenville looks and attempts to build a wardrobe, an impression that makes her clients lives easier and more comfortable. Like many other small business owners, Bickerstaff works out of her home, which gives her the flexibility to spend time with her children after they get home from school. Starting her own business was a natural choice for her and her family’s life style, but she adds, “I think you really have to be a go-getter, disciplined, a self-starter. My entire business is based on me and how well I perform for my clients.My business is primarily referral- based, so if my client is happy, they tell their friends and then their friends become future clients.” ■

>>emerging companies

Katrina Daniel

More than ever these days, it seems, appearance does matter. What you wear and how you wear it presents a quick hit, a synopsis of who you are and what image you want to present to the world. Gone are the days of, “I’ll just be myself and wear what I feel comfortable in.”

Now you’re more likely to hear, “I feel I need to look really put together, appropriate, in order to compete in today’s job market, and social world.”

But dressing for your body type, your taste and your wallet is a lot easier for some than it is for others, and most people admit to struggling with wardrobe and style choices.

Greenville resident Ashley Bickerstaff came to that conclusion after helping out a friend, “She had been struggling with her weight since the birth of her last child. She was frustrated that clothes were not fitting her the way they used to.” So Bickerstaff offered to take her friend shopping, “Several stores later and over a light lunch, she was thrilled with the look I pulled together for her. She said she felt comfortable and about 15 pounds lighter in her new clothes and then she proceeded to badger me into sharing my talents with others.”

And that’s how StyleEnvy came to be, with Ashley Bickerstaff at the helm of her own business, “As a mother of two children, one with special needs, I knew that I if I pursued a career that it would have to be on my own terms. I would need flexible hours and availability to my family at all times, “she says.

So Bickerstaff created what – to many women – would be the dream job, “I spend a great deal of my time at local boutiques, jewelry stores, shoe stores, etc... I am a big believer in supporting the local economy. I also spend a lot of time in my clients’ closets. Ultimately, my clients dictate where I spend my time. My service is very tailor made.” She edits her clients’ closets, turning a realistic yet diplomatic eye on their wardrobe choices and advising them what to wear where and when.

Bickerstaff keeps abreast of the current fashion trends and tried and true Greenville looks and attempts to build a wardrobe, an impression that makes her clients lives easier and more comfortable.

Like many other small business owners, Bickerstaff works out of her home, which gives her the flexibility to spend time with her children after they get home from school.

Starting her own business was a natural choice for her and her family’s life style, but she adds, “I think you really have to be a go-getter, disciplined, a self-starter. My entire business is based on me and how well I perform for my clients. My business is primarily referral-based, so if my client is happy, they tell their friends and then their friends become future clients.”

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